I will be traveling outside the U.S. What type of coverage will international travel insurance provide me?

International travel medical insurance provides coverage for Emergency Medical Expenses, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Repatriation of Remains, Trip Interruption, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and more while traveling outside your home country.

I have domestic insurance in the U.S. Isn't that enough?

Many private and government-sponsored domestic health insurance plans provide excellent coverage within the United States. However, they are not intended to provide comprehensive coverage while traveling abroad.

Well, what will my domestic insurance cover while I am traveling abroad?

You will want to verify with your insurance company what they will and will not cover. Many domestic companies do not provide medical coverage for international travel, and the ones that do have limited coverage with high deductibles and co-insurance. They are usually not experienced or equipped to deal with different languages, currency conversion, time zone differences, international claims administration and usually do not cover emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, or emergency reunion.

My homeowner's policy as well as my credit card offer me coverage while traveling abroad. Shouldn't that work fine for me?

While you may have some coverage with both your homeowner's policy and credit card, you will want to review the terms of each carefully. They will likely have high deductibles. They also may be limited to only certain types of coverage such as Flight Accident, Car Rental Damage, or Accidental Death & Dismemberment while traveling. You will also want to keep in mind that most credit cards require you to use that specific card to purchase your trip in order for the coverage to apply.

I take several trips a year, and I often have a day or less to plan for it. Is there a time limit for purchasing international travel insurance?

You can purchase travel health insurance any time up to the departure date, or even after departing for your trip. In most policies, coverage can start as early as the next business day, or any future date you specify.

As I previously mentioned, I take several trips a year. It gets overwhelming trying to remember to purchase international insurance each time. Is it possible for me to purchase one policy that will cover me all year long?

If you take multiple trips in a year, we advise you to consider an annual travel insurance policy called Multi-Trip Travel Insurance, that would provide you coverage throughout the year. It usually provides higher coverage and is typically cheaper.

Will it matter if my trips vary between business and pleasure if I purchase a Multi-Trip policy?

No, the coverage is not based on your reason for travel. However, there are several restrictions to keep in mind when purchasing annual travel insurance:

• You must maintain a major medical health insurance policy while in your home country, or be enrolled in a government health program such as Medicare,
• Each trip must be limited to 30 or 45 days, depending on the policy,
• Coverage is only provided to persons under the age of 65 (for most companies),
• Trip cancellation is not included in any annual policy,
• Trip interruption is usually a flat amount of $5,000 based on the actual trip cost (for each trip), and
• Most annual travel insurance plans have one policy maximum, and not various options to choose from.

To learn more about Multi-Trip policies, please view the Annual Travel Insurance article below.

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  Annual Travel Insurance

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My international trips are usually only for a few days. What is the minimum number of days I have to purchase in order to be covered?

Most companies require you to purchase coverage for a minimum of five days.

In regards to coverage related to medical care, what will these plans cover?

This type of insurance generally covers any new medical conditions, sicknesses, injuries, or accidents that occur after the effective date of the policy.

What does trip cancellation insurance include?

Trip Cancellation Insurance includes various items such as, Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical Expenses, Emergency Medical Evacuation, Repatriation of Remains, Baggage, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, and possibly other benefits such as travel delay, assistance services, emergency cash transfer etc.

What is the difference between Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption coverage?

Trip Cancellation is designed to provide you coverage in the event that you have to cancel your trip for a valid reason prior to your departure. The plan will reimburse you your pre-paid, nonrefundable portion of your trip cost. Trip Interruption is designed to provide you coverage in the event that you need to return home from your trip early due to covered reasons such as a house fire or the death of a close relative. The plan will help you pay for the additional expenses to make arrangements to return home early.

I read something briefly on "Cancel for any reason travel insurance". Can you tell me more about that?

Absolutely. Cancel for any reason travel insurance allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and get a refund of the trip cost. Keep in mind that it is not really for "any reason." There are some restrictions. Cancel for any reason travel insurance plans provide trip cancellation coverage for any reason not already covered by regular trip cancellation insurance plans. For example, a cancel for any reason policy will be helpful in the event that you:

• Change your mind and decide not to travel,
• Unavailability of travel documents (passport for visa),
• Work-related reasons, weather, family reasons, travel fears (due to recent developments in the country of your destination),
• Epidemic in the area of your destination, or
• Other reasons such as your pet being sick, or your travel partner backing out, etc.

To learn more about Trip Insurance please view the What is Travel Insurance? article below.

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  What is Travel Insurance?

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Am I required to have a Visa when traveling to a Schengen Country?

U.S. Citizens are not required to have a visa when traveling to a Schengen country if the trip duration is 90 days or less and traveling for business or pleasure.

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  Insurance for Schengen Visa - FAQ

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I have heard a lot about your company, Insubuy^®_. What other policies do you offer in regards to international travel?

As a leading health insurance brokerage company specializing in international insurance, we offer various plans from various companies. The types of insurance policies we offer specific to U.S. Citizens traveling abroad would be: Study Abroad Coverage, Schengen visa Insurance, Expatriates Insurance, Missionary Insurance, Accident, Group Medical, and Specialty Insurance. For more details on any of the above mentioned polices, please feel free to contact our office.